Stator lamination iron losses heretofore have dominated energy dissipation in most dynamoelectric machines. There is therefore a need to increase the efficiency of dynamoelectric machines particularly with respect to stator losses.
Amorphous ferromagnetic material lacks crystalline structure and has about one-tenth the iron losses of common crystalline iron alloys. It is formed in a sheet roughly 1 mil thick, as compared to 12-14 mils of common electrical steels) with a hardness in the range of 63-70 Rockwell C, like many tool steels, so that it is machined only by grinding, electric discharge machining or lasers, and those at risk of heat-inducing crystal formation and performance degradation. It may be slit and sheared economically. Punching, as for stator laminations, is impractical due to material hardness and very thin sections. Reduced losses can also be achieved with thin section (under the usual 12- 14 mils) electrical steels, most commonly silicon alloyed, which are more readily fabricated than are amorphous ferromagnetic materials.